Sapphire Secrets
by Chrys-DASL
Summary: When Francine needs to get ready for the school dance, Muffy immediately comes to her aid, loaning her a beautiful necklace to tie the outfit together. Francine doesn't want to return it. Will a late night fire give her a way to keep it? Will Muffy ever find out? One-shot.


**Sapphire Secrets**

Francine looked over Muffy's extensive jewelry collection. Even though she claimed to be less into material things now that she'd matured to the age of sixteen, Francine had her doubts as she saw the numerous diamond encrusted items littering the various parts of Muffy's jewelry vanity. All she wanted was something simple to wear to the school dance, but instead she was staring at more shiny things than she'd ever seen before. Francine sighed heavily as she picked up a glittery necklace, draping it over her neck with her lips stuck in a fine line.

"Oh don't pout like that, Francine. You'll ruin your good looks before you even turn twenty," Muffy scowled, holding up a necklace with a huge sapphire as its center stone. "Besides, that necklace doesn't even remotely match your outfit. This, on the other hand, matches both your eyes and your dress, and I'm sure we can find shoes to match before the big day. What do you say? Will you wear it?" Muffy grinned, holding it up to her.

Francine had to admit that Muffy still had her good points after all these years. She'd gotten better about not forcing Francine into fashion decisions, but Francine knew this was more an act of persuasion than anything else. She grabbed at the necklace in a move that said 'I give up,' but she was surprised to see Muffy pull back the necklace, a very stern expression on her face.

"Look, I want you to know something about this necklace. A very special aunt gave this to me before she died, and I'm only giving it to you for the dance. That's today, tomorrow, and then I want it back the very next morning. If _anything_ happens to this necklace, I will _never_ be able to forgive you," Muffy said darkly, looking Francine over. "Do you understand?"

"Yeah, it's just that you've never actually said something like that to me before. I know to get things back to you, and I'll make sure nothing happens to it. In fact, why don't you keep it until the big night? I mean, you can at least keep it here even if you're going off to the cheerleading meet. Bailey will be here, won't he?" Francine questioned. Muffy shook her head. Her parents were going with her to a big cheerleading meet out west, and Bailey was tagging along to keep their affairs in order. Francine had to take the necklace now, making her gulp. She'd never been in this kind of a situation before, and it honestly made her nervous.

"If you can't keep the promise, just take whatever you want. But this piece is the best choice, and I really do want you to wear it. I just want you to know how important it is to me, to my family," Muffy said softly. Francine nodded sternly, watching as Muffy placed it into an ornate jewelry box. Muffy placed the box in her hands, and Francine could instantly feel the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Dance music thumped throughout the Elwood City High gym. This might be just a typical high school dance, but Francine looked as stunning as a princess at a royal ball. Her date was too stunned to speak for most of the night, his dance movements slow and awkward. Francine thought he was pretty cute at least, and since he was one of only a handful of sophomores who were actually dancing, she and Muffy both saw him as a catch.

But the night was quickly over, sending Francine to her family's small home. Promotions allowed them to move up in the world, but clever spending meant some interesting choices. The home still only had two bedrooms, and Francine still shared hers with Catherine, who was attending Elwood City Community College for...well it kept changing, but at least she was going.

Francine carefully undressed by soft lamplight while Catherine sat on her bed. Francine thought she was asleep, but after a few moments, she noticed her sister stir. Catherine turned to face her, gasping at her sister's appearance. Muffy had helped her be the most beautiful girl in the whole town, and her necklace was the piece that tied the ensemble together. Catherine's eyes were glued on it as she stood to examine it closer.

"Oh my god, Muffy gave you this?!" she gasped. Francine quickly shook her head, but Catherine wouldn't be quiet to let her explain, "I'm telling you, Frankie, that girl has some of the most amazing things in the world. I mean, what would something like this _cost_? I mean, it must've cost a fortune-"

"It's priceless actually," Francine interrupted. "Look, it's a family heirloom. This isn't like the pendant necklace from the eighth grade dance. I have to give this back, and you can't borrow it for the day either. I'm taking it straight to her house in the morning, no matter what!" Francine said sternly.

Catherine sighed, "It's just something I like, Frankie. Don't be so hard on me. I'm glad she has something that valuable in her collection, but I mean, it's beautiful. I'm entitled to comment on that, okay?" she said, moving back to her bed. She lay down, thrusting a pillow over her head. After a moment, she uncovered her head and turned to Francine, "And you better get some pictures for Mom. She's been dying to see you dolled up since your last growth spurt. She'll be happy to know those last few inches were worth it even though you did need new everything."

Catherine thumped back into bed, and after a few moments, she was snoring softly. Francine was happy to finally be "alone" as she admired her figure in the mirror. She was wearing her night clothes now, but she decided to leave the necklace on. Even though her night clothes were just a ragged t-shirt and jeans, the necklace made her look like a Hollywood heiress, and her slightly messy hair only made her more glamorous. It was as if this necklace had a magical ability to make her look brilliant in anything, no matter how worn out, ragged, or anything else. The necklace was simply stunning, and honestly, she didn't want to give it back.

As Francine settled into bed, she tried to think of ways that she could keep the necklace. What if she told Muffy she lost it? She'd lost tons of Muffy's things over the years. It was just something else in her collection, probably, and she'd most likely made up the story. She'd forget about it in a few weeks and things would go back to normal. If that story wasn't enough, she could say she was robbed on the way to her house. Francine knew a police officer's son, so she figured that faking a report wouldn't be too hard.

Her thoughts swarmed until she heard a loud pop outside. It awakened the entire Frensky household, sending them all to the nearest window as the pops continued. A neighboring house was the source of the explosions, and sparks littered the street as the popping continued. Something was going on outside, something that was not good.

"Everyone out!" Oliver called, urging the girls to get their clothes on and to get out the door as soon as possible. As he did this, a police officer arrived to evacuate them. With just the clothes on their backs, they were herded two blocks over as pops and explosions sounded in the night.

Because of the excitement, Francine was quickly ignored. She sat under a tree and continued her thought process. The popping noises didn't stop, and she could even smell something burning as she sat by herself. She sighed softly, wondering what exactly was going on. She wondered if this could be her excuse, her way to keep the necklace, but she needed to know details before such a plan could work.

A little after three in the morning, the fire department gave the all-clear. Someone had accidentally lit up their stash of fireworks, causing a small fire in the house and the nearly continuous explosions. Though they could continue, the families were allowed back in their home now that things were deemed safe. The somewhat disappointed crowd faded back into their homes, and the Frensky's were one of the last families inside. They immediately crashed into the beds, eager to get some sleep after such a long night. Francine was no exception, but she had her thoughts to sort, and her dreams weren't helping.

The Crosswire's doorbell chimed throughout the house. Francine made sure her makeup was adequately messy as the door opened. Bailey immediately led her back to Muffy's room, where the girl was already beautiful for her Saturday of doing little to nothing. But when she saw Francine, that changed. Her carefree look immediately got serious, and she asked the only question that mattered to her: What happened to the necklace?

"I-I-I don't know. We got evacuated while I was undressing, and it must've slipped off or something. The fire department was all over the neighborhood. I filed a complaint with the housing people or something, but I just don't know where it went," Francine stammered, trying to appear as distraught as possible. To her surprise, sobs rang out from her throat as she sank onto Muffy's floor.

Muffy was furious, "Those men must've taken it from the house after you left! Those miserable people! I'll tell my father, and Daddy will make sure they pay for this! I have to have that necklace back. It's a precious family heirloom, and it can't be in the hands of some measly firefighter's wife!" Muffy spat, slamming her hand on her vanity. Bailey reentered with refreshments, but he was quickly leading them to Ed's office.

Francine told him everything, and soon he was on the phone with some important officials for the city's first responder units. Francine sat back silently as Muffy did all the crying and complaining for both of them. She was furious that her necklace was gone, and honestly, Francine felt sick in its absence too. It was hidden under her floorboard of her bedroom, waiting for this all to blow over so she could some day wear it again.

 _Ten Years Later_

Francine eyed her wedding dress in the full-body mirror in the synagog's dressing room. She was wearing white, but the blue flowers in her hair and the sapphire engagement ring brought back memories of that necklace. It was hidden in her things at home, the home she'd soon share with her husband. He was a cousin of Muffy's, a powerful man she'd met at some function of the Crosswire family. He was the son of the daughter of the aunt that gave Muffy the necklace. After so much time trying to keep her friend from knowing she had it, she was marrying the one person would would also recognize it immediately. No matter what happened, it would have to stay hidden for the rest of eternity.

"Knock, knock!" Muffy said cheerfully, moving into the dressing room. She sighed heavily as she looked Francine over, "You know, you're the most beautiful woman in this entire country. Raphael is so lucky to be marrying you. He's got the worst teeth, but money will fix that! Oh, you two are going to be so happy together," she cried, looking her over. She sighed softly, "I wish those losers hadn't nabbed that necklace from your room. It would look beautiful on you, and since you're family now, I could've given it to you as a wedding present. How horrible of them to do that."

Francine blushed crimson, but she couldn't admit it now. Muffy was her closest friend in the world other than her future husband, and telling her such a terrible thing would ruin that. No matter what happened, she would have to keep its true story a complete secret.

 _Sixty Years Later_

Francine looked Muffy over with a grim expression. Muffy was suffering from incurable cancer. There was nothing more to be done for her now, and a machine hooked into her made sure the pain didn't become too great. Francine gently took her hand, making Muffy's eyes flutter. After a moment, they opened. Muffy smiled gently as she saw her life-long friend.

"I was hoping you'd come here," Muffy said in a low voice, the words barely getting out. She swallowed gently and looked Francine over, "You're still so beautiful despite the wrinkles. That'll really help you now that Raph is gone. He'll want you to remarry, you know, so go out there and find someone. And...wear the necklace."

Francine was too shocked to speak for a moment, but then she had to ask the question in her mind, "What do you mean?"

Muffy scoffed, "I've known since that day in the synagog. The look you gave me was one so guilty. I knew, but I didn't say anything. That necklace belonged with you more than with me. It was something silly to my aunt. It only meant something to me because it was valuable. To you, it was actually valuable. It was worth more than money. I just wish I wasn't so hard on you so you would've been able to wear it on your wedding day and at the renewal ceremony," Muffy sighed, exhaling deeply. "I'm glad we've cleared this up. If time travel becomes a thing, you go back and fix this, okay? It could've ended our friendship, you know," Muffy said, coughing gently.

The nurse entered, sending Francine away. She was quite relieved herself, but Muffy was right. She'd wasted seventy years over that necklace when Muffy would've given it to her all along. Why couldn't she have been honest about wanting it so badly? Muffy was generous enough to let her borrow it again even if she did take it back.

But time only moved forward. After a few days, Muffy passed away, leaving Francine alone in the world. To honor her friend, she wore the necklace proudly. She was the only one in the world who would recognize its worth now, but it had other powers. It turned heads at the senior center, and soon Francine was back in the dating game. This was her second chance, she decided. She just wished her best friend could join her, but she knew in her heart that Muffy would always be there, quietly critiquing her in the harsh afternoon breeze.

~End

Theme 31: Accident

Theme 179: Missing

Theme 184: The Perfect Crime

The themes are from my Infinite Arthur Theme List challenge. See my profile for details. See my deviantArt account, SS-Chrys, for the listed themes.

As for 31: Accident, I realize that part is a little vague. Since the fireworks were lit accidentally, I figured it counted. 184 is a stretch too. Francine technically committed a crime just by falsely saying the necklace was stolen, but the necklace wasn't technically a crime. Either way, it kind of fits. Muffy, of course, figured everything out, but she's Muffy. She's smarter than we give her credit for sometimes.

Anyway, I hope you liked it even if the themes were a stretch.

[Written 6/9/2015]


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